Cost Comparisons

Combining Business with Personal Travel on an Airline Ticket:  

The University permits combining official University business travel with personal travel on an airline ticket per the following:

Personal travel is identified as any choice the traveler makes other than purchasing a roundtrip ticket for official University business travel.  This includes but is not limited to:

• Adding travel dates
• Originating/returning airport other than their workstation
  • For Lexington based employees, Cincinnati and Louisville airports are acceptable as well as Lexington.
• Detours
• Upgradable fares (i.e. business or first class)

When personal travel is combined with business travel a cost comparison must be obtained to price the airfare for business only travel.  However, if the business combining personal portion of the trip is ONLY adding seven or less personal days at the business destination, a cost comparison is NOT required.

When a traveler chooses to combine personal travel with business on an airline ticket the cost comparison:

• Must be obtained within three days (either before or after) the airfare purchase date and timestamped
• Should be done for what would have been the business only portion of travel
  • For situations where a personal travel choice triggers the requirement for a cost comparison, the cost comparison should be run using the business only dates of travel even if the personal days added are seven days or less.
• Must show the hypothetical itinerary/airfare the traveler would have chosen for official university business travel
• Can be obtained via the Concur Online Booking Tool or through an AAA or Avant agent.
  • Through Concur Travel – Cost comparison must be printed within three days (either before or after) the date the ticket is purchased.  Ensure business-only travel search parameters are used based on the beginning/ending date and time of the business meeting.  On the flight options list, mark or highlight the itinerary/airfare that the traveler would hypothetically choose for official University business travel.  Ensure the print date shows on the cost comparison (which must match the actual ticket purchase date).  It's best to run the cost comparison from Concur and then "print to Adobe", and then save the PDF - in this way, the date stamp will show on the cost comparison.
    • Quick Reference Guide - Obtaining a Cost Comparison in Concur
  • Through AAA or Avant Travel – Cost comparison email must be secured from AAA or Avant within three days (either before or after) the date the actual ticket is purchased.  The email must show the hypothetical itinerary/airfare that the traveler would choose for official University business travel.

If the airfare for the ticket that combines business with personal travel is less expensive than the cost comparison, then the UK procurement card can be used to purchase the ticket.

If the airfare for the ticket that combines business with personal travel is more expensive than the cost comparison, then a personal credit card must be used to purchase the ticket. The traveler is reimbursed the cost comparison airfare after the ticket is used (travel is completed).

The airfare cost comparison for business-only travel and the actual ticket receipt must be submitted with the airline ticket procard expense report or the travel expense report if the ticket was not purchased with the UK procard.  

Driving More than 500 Miles One-Way to a Business Location:

If an airfare cost comparison is not appropriately secured as required for one of the travel scenarios above, then a Request for Historical Airfare Cost Comparison form must be completed and submitted to the email address indicated on the form.